JERUSALEM — Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, said on Thursday that he would accept the Israel Defense Forces’ (IDF) plan for a major attack to take over Gaza City. This approach has been strongly criticized by international groups and even some Israelis. Netanyahu also said that he had told his negotiators to start talking to Hamas again right away to get the remaining hostages released. He said, “Defeating Hamas and freeing all our hostages go hand in hand.”
The announcement comes a day after the defense ministry authorized the plan, which will call up about 60,000 reservists to help in the operation. The IDF has already launched small operations on the edges of Gaza City and has told medical professionals and humanitarian relief groups in northern Gaza to leave and go south.
People are angry with the decision to step up military operations. In a statement, Hamas said that Israel’s proposal showed “blatant disregard” for the work that mediators from Egypt and Qatar are doing to reach a ceasefire and a deal to free hostages. The Red Cross has also called Israel’s actions “unacceptable,” and the UN humanitarian agency has warned of a “horrific humanitarian impact” on the people of Gaza City, who are already tired.
This new push for talks comes as mediators wait for an official response from Israel to the latest ceasefire plan, which Hamas has already agreed to. Palestinian sources quoted by AFP said that the plan includes a staggered release of hostages in exchange for Palestinian detainees, a pullback of Israeli troops, and talks for a longer-lasting ceasefire. This is different from what Israel has said in the past, which was that all hostages should be released at once.
Netanyahu’s message had two parts: he approved a large military operation and called for new talks. This shows the conflicting pressures he is under. On the one hand, he wants to eliminate Hamas’s military capabilities, but on the other, he is under a lot of pressure from the relatives of hostages and the international community to get them released. People in both Israel and Gaza have protested demanding an end to the war.
The Israeli military says that the offensive is required to keep Hamas from regrouping. People in Gaza, on the other hand, have said that they are scared and hopeless since they don’t feel safe anywhere in the area.